NEWS
We’ll Still Support Local Govts in Bayelsa – Diri
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has said his administration will continue to give financial support to local governments in the state regardless of the judgment of the Supreme Court that granted autonomy to the councils.
Diri stated this on Wednesday while swearing-in chairmen of two Rural Development Authorities (RDAs) during the 134th state executive council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa.
He explained that some of the councils in the state run into deficit after paying workers and teachers and that the government will continue to augment their funds in order for them not to suffer.
He further stated that contrary to the impression that states were tampering with local government funds paid through the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC), the case of Bayelsa was different as the government instead augmented their funds.
The governor noted that creation of the RDAs was part of the government’s initiative of taking development to the nook and cranny of the state.
He charged the newly sworn in chairmen to discharge their duties dutifully and humbly to the people at the grassroots.
He said: “My administration will continue to give full support to the local government system, regardless of the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy.
“Unlike the impression being peddled that state governments control what goes to the local government accounts after FAAC allocation, the Bayelsa State government augments their funds, as some local councils run in deficit.
“You are carrying the banner of this Prosperity Government to your rural development authorities. I charge you to discharge your duties dutifully and humbly to the people at the grassroots.”
Those sworn-in were Andrew Ikputu-Kirifa for Ogboin South/Tarakiri RDA and Mr. Christian Egbo for Ogbia Central RDA.
The governor, again, expressed concern over the destruction to the power transmission lines serving the state by vandals that has thrown the state into total darkness.
He said he has kept the Commissioner for Power and Managing Director of the Bayelsa State Electricity Company on their toes working with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to ensure that power was quickly restored while the government’s plan to achieve independent power supply for the state was on course.
NEWS
Customs Intercept Contraband Worth N510.92m in Two Conths
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone C, says it intercepted contrabands with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N510.92 million between July 15th and September 15th, 2024.The zone covers the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone and the five states in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This is contained in a statement signed by Jerry Attah, Public Relations Officer, NCS, Zone C, and made available to journalists on Wednesday. According to the statement, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, NCS, Zone C, gave the statistics while showcasing the seized contraband to relevant regulatory agencies at the Government Warehouse in Edo.Ugbagu said that the zone also recovered the sum of N25.57 million from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of N536.49 million recorded within the months under review.“The DPV was derived from our seized goods, which include 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without an NAFDAC number.“1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tires, and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomato paste.“More worrisome is the interception of 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without NAFDAC registration numbers.”He noted that the cough syrup with codeine and tramadol without NAFDAC registration numbers, if not intercepted, could have had adverse effects on youths.He added that the items were mostly intercepted along the Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways based on credible intelligence. (NAN)NEWS
APC Forum Decries Deplorable Condition of Federal Roads
The Forum of Stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has decried the deplorable condition of some federal roads in Nigeria. Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central Chairman of the forum, said this in an interaction with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos. Zazzaga described some of the federal roads as ”death traps”, particularly those within the north-central region.
He said that some of the deplorable roads in the region include Jos-Akwanga, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa, Makurdi-Ankpa, and Jos-Saminaka. Other roads that needed urgent attention, he said, included Suleja-Minna, Ejule-Otukpa, Ganawuri-Manchok, Lokoja-Abuja, Lapai-Agaie-Bida, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa, Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora. ”Currently, the north-central region has the most deplorable roads and highways in the country. ”These deplorable roads have brought severe hardship on the people and lost lives and property through preventable road traffic crashes. ”We call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the rehabilitation of these roads because good roads are vital enablers of development,” he said. The chairman also called on governors of states within the region to reconstruct the dilapidated roads and seek refunds from the federal government. ”Though these are largely federal roads, they are located within states, and the beneficiaries are the people of these states. ”So we call on state governments to reconstruct these roads and seek refunds from the federal government,” he added. (NANNEWS
Yuan Strengthens 7. 087 Against Dollar
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 160 pips to 7.087 against the dollar on Wednesday.This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.In China’s spot foreigners exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.
The central parity rate of the yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)